Siamese Twins
by proudsmile
Summary: Sometimes the strongest bounds are forged under unlikely circunstances. Thralled and branded by the Celestial Dragons, Monkey D. Luffy is not sure what to expect in the future, he is prepared for everything though he doesn’t count in meeting Trafalgar Law.
1. An Encounter in Hell

**Beta-readed by DarkStarlet**

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"Ace! Sabo!"

Again.

"Ace! Sabo!"

The same names.

"Ace! Sabo!"

Desperation. Sadness. Longing.

"Ace! Sabo!"

And the cycle repeated itself. The kid didn't know when to quit, he kept screaming those names, every time ringing louder and louder, his voice not lowering a single decibel. To some degree they understood him, their hearts went out to him because they had all experienced the same, and yelled until their throat became hoarse and dry from crying out long and loud. If it could be worse, he was a young boy probably seven, maybe eight.

Even if he was still a brat, his age didn't surprise the other prisoners who stayed there longer. After all, for them age didn't matter as long as they served a purpose, their lives were meaningful for them, ones who were replaced with ease. Some lasted longer, others succumbed to depression and died shortly after they reached the cells. The question here was: would the kid have a strong enough will to survive? Or would he breakdown?

His scrawny shoulders trembled as he kept banging his closed fists against the walls of his cell, shouting the names of his brothers, tears streaming down his cheeks. Monkey D. Luffy didn't want to be here, he didn't like this place at all. He wanted to be with his brothers, not in some building that was bathed in darkness and shadows. It made his insides stir uncomfortably like when he ate a rotted fruit or when he had to much sugar.

One minute he was with his brother searching for Sabo, to rescue him from his family and the next he was snatched from the comfort and warmth of his family. Here he felt cold and there was a void like when he had been younger, before he met Shanks, and Makino wasn't around him. He was familiar with the feeling, the loneliness that sank his heart like an anchor in the deepest depths of the sea.

Being lonely hurts.

Accompanied with that came the confusion, the pain, both mental and physical, and despair. For every minute he waited there, his heart shattered piece by piece.

Where was Makino and her sweet smiles? Where was Shanks and his easy going attitude? Where was Ace and his protectiveness? Where was Sabo and his smart ass personality? Heck, Luffy even missed Gramps and his 'Fists of Love'. And Dadan and the others? Mayor Woop Slap?

He had to get out of here! But he couldn't, they had locked the door after throwing him into the small room, where the only source of light was a light bulb which was too weak to illuminate the place properly.

His neck was itchy because of the collar encircling it. These men had put it there like he was some sort of dog and called him a slave which was stupid because he was going to become the King of Pirates, the freest person in the world, bound to no one but himself!

His upper lip trembled and tears welled up. Ace was right, he was such a crybaby and this was partly his fault, he shouldn't have wandered off, he should have stayed beside Dadan and not gone off on his own to get captured by the pudgy man.

"No," he shook his head to get rid of those dark thoughts that were clouding his mind. "I'm not going to cry anymore." He wouldn't cry, his brothers would come for him. He was sure of it, he would just have to wait.

Drawing his knees close to his chest, he rested his forehead between them. Dizziness hit him hard making his head spin and the bile rose in his throat. He was hungry, yet the idea of eating anything made him nauseous, nothing appealed to him and food was the last thing on his mind. Never had he felt like this, not even when Porchemy and his henchmen tortured him that night.

Luffy didn't know how much he stayed in that fetal position, it wasn't until he heard a soft 'click' and the door squeaking loudly, that his head snapped up and he shot to his feet.

A dark shadow fell over him and Luffy was disappointed when a man with a white coat and a mask covering his face appeared. Nevertheless, Luffy approached him.

"Can I get out of there? Where are Gramps, Ace and Sabo? I don't want to here anymore, this isn't even funny, where are we anyway…?" None of his questions were answered, the guy glared at him hatefully.

"Annoying pests, I don't even know why Saint Basil keeps you when you're all a nuisances." He ground out, his face pulled into a frown.

Luffy didn't understand a word he said but he figured it out, this man wasn't here to help him. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when another two figures appeared behind the man with the white robe. Unlike him they didn't wear a mask, their faces were scrunched up in a smug expressions. His eyes travelled south and he froze when they fell on a teenage boy, much older than him, Sabo or Ace.

His breath was ragged and wild, his head downcast , black hair with wisps of blue covering his face and his body was convulsing like a fish out of water, beads of sweat dripping down his skin. He kind of reminded Luffy of when Sabo caught flu and he couldn't move from the treehouse. But Sabo didn't look as sick as this.

White Coat clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stared at the teen with open disappointment.

"Two months of slavery and you still stand. I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky." He frowned, eyes crinkling. He didn't get any reply, it was normal that the boy didn't talk very much and if he did he would spit at them. He dipped his chin at the other two and signalled them."Put him in here and don't give him the antidote, or food, until he learns that attacking spectators is foolish."

Unkindly, they hurled him to the centre of the room. The boy didn't hit the ground, catching himself before landing. Grey eyes with flecks of gold gave them a deadly look, cold and sinister.

"Screw you." The teen bit out, his voice cracking like a whip.

Stubborn boy. He wasn't broken, he still stood on his own two feet, not ever dropping his will around them.

Doctor North gazed down at the other young boy in front of him, another pet for the Master, one he bought in the last Auction. From what he gathered the boy was a Devil Fruit user. He wondered if it was as interesting as the others held here. A spark of excitement lit up in him and his fingers itched with the thought of trying his new drugs on him. Would the boy be as resistant as the teen, or would he succumb like so many of the other slaves?

The possibilities were endless but he would have to wait for permission first. North was okay with that, he was patient and had other matters to attend.

"Don't cause too much trouble, little pests." He warned them dangerously. He swivelled around with his assistants following his footsteps obediently, closing the door behind them.

And Luffy was left alone with the teen.

The dark-haired boy stretched his arms, giving a slight wince and it was then when Luffy noticed the white blotches that covered a part of his arms. For once he wasn't his usual exuberant self, Luffy was oddly quiet. His eyes burning holes into his cellmate.

He bit down his lip pondering his options, Luffy had never been the type to back off in order to gain a friend. And with this boy? Loneliness would swallow him up if he didn't talk to him. Driven by that thought he crawled over towards the older boy.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy." He presented himself with a bright grin, forgetting for an instance the cesspit they were in.

The effect was immediate, the teenager turned his head towards him, his eyes hard as steel with an underlying danger in them. Despite his sharp appearance and the hostility rolling off his shoulders, Luffy felt oddly calm. He didn't think this boy would hurt him, or so he hoped.

An eyebrow quirked, "D?"

Luffy tilted his head confused not catching the reason of why the teen seemed interested in the D. in his name. It was nothing special. Or at least it wasn't for him. Those sharp grey orbs bored into his and the teen waved his hand dismissively.

"You don't know, right? Just don't tell them your full name." He warned him before turning towards the wall, seemingly finding it more interesting than Luffy.

"Hey!" Luffy called out indignantly. "You've never told me your name!" He pouted.

That was rude, he remembered Sabo's voice telling him and Ace that it was common courtesy that when someone presented himself the other had to do so. He stamped down the bittersweet sensation that washed over him and focused on the Stranger-Who-Would-Become-Luffy's-Friend.

The silence stretched in between them, and Luffy curled his small hands in his lap waiting for an answer. If the boy was going to be stubborn then Luffy would meet it head on like a bull.

"It's Law."

Luffy's eyes widened with astonishment when the older boy, Law, answered in an aloof manner.

Onyx eyes clashed with steely grey, and Law's lips twitched up into a cutting smirk, one that matched the ice in his voice.

"Trafalgar Law."

Luffy's face split into his trademark grin. "Nice to meet you, Torao!"

'Torao' remained stoic except for the slight twitch of his eyebrow in annoyance, his back turned to him.

It was the start of a long, hard journey.


	2. Call of the Unlucky

**Beta-read by the wonderful Lady Logos! She is a godsend**

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Law woke up with a familiar start, not to the sound of the slave handlers shouting at the other slaves to wake up in their cells, but by the tantalizing echoes of his past. Pressing his sweaty palms against his eyes, he drew in a much needed breath.

The images played behind his eyes, a mosaic of incoherent thoughts and images though one halted, it demanded his attention and Law couldn't shunt it into a corner of his mind like so many others. Trafalgar Law remembered the red color staining the white terrace, leaving his friends body and seeping into the ground too fast, large, cold snowflakes covering his body slowly. Next to him appeared a sick looking Law, panicked and afraid, waving his hands frantically as if that action could save Cora-san's life.

But Cora-san hadn't cared about how close death's cold embrace he was, having made his mind that the only important thing was for Law to find a place to hide in to survive, that while Doflamingo wouldn't kill Rocinante because they shared blood, Law wouldn't be as lucky.

Liar.

Blood meant nothing to Doflamingo.

Doflamingo hadn't shown any mercy when he'd pulled the trigger, he didn't seem to regret it. And Law hadn't been able to do anything, confined in that little space he had bawled his eyes out, shouting at the top of his lungs for Cora-san to run and his last words ringing in his head over and over.

'I love you, Law.'

A lump lodged itself in his throat and he felt the familiar burning sting in his eyes, if anyone walked upon him right now they wouldn't believe this was the same boy that had thrown scathing words at the World Nobles. The fresh scar lingered in his mind, haunting him in his sleep and yet it was the only thing fueling him, keeping him going forwards.

He couldn't-wouldn't-die in this place. He wouldn't forget his kindness, his clumsiness, his sacrifice…

How Law would manage to avenge his friend (his parent figure) was of no importance; the end justifies the means or so they said but Law would prefer to be a pirate rather than a marine or even worse; a slave.

Grinding his teeth together, Law hunched forward, his forehead pressed against his knees. He tried to control his breathing but couldn't, it was wild, superficial and uneven, beads of sweat slid down the nape of his neck, his body had a high temperature and Law pondered if it was a side-effect of the Amber Lead Disease still in his body or the drug they forced down his throat.

Speaking of drugs…

Flexing his fingers Law wondered if it was worth a try if he tried to remove the drug from his body, but discarded the thought as fast as it had come, not in fright of what that sadistic doctor would do if he caught a word that Law had managed yet another time to foil his plans in controlling him, but because his energy would whittle away if he used his Devil Fruit powers and he wouldn't be able to wring the poison out later if they tried something even worse.

What an annoyance he told himself sourly, his head thrown back and his eyes trailing the ceiling. If he had been strong enough those slave traders wouldn't have overpowered him so fast, shackled with sea-stone cuffs and shoved into a small cage. The following days had been spent in a haze of squalor and coldness, soon to be superseded by the smell of incinerated skin and hot fire crawling over his flesh, consuming him with agony that seemed endless.

He had been sold to the Celestial Dragons.

(It seemed Law was doomed to live a tragedy, one after another.)

Law would've been happy to let the poison sap what remained of his lifespan but the reminiscence of Cora-san's wide smile and last words brought him to the surface, plunging him out of his dark thoughts. He couldn't die, not while Donquixote Doflamingo was sauntering calmly around the world without anyone to bring him to justice.

He would avenge his friend, Law would face off the monster living under the flesh and press the trigger Cora-san hadn't been able to pull.

He would get out of this hellhole. It didn't matter how, but Law would, he only needed a loophole. Just one, a fissure big enough to let him scurry away, just one mistake made by his captors and he would be gone.

His fingers tapped the explosive collar around his neck. His eyes narrowed in displeasure. If this shit wasn't circling his throat ready to go off, running away would've been a cinch. Another problem was the marines guarding the place, it wouldn't be easy to dispose of them, at least not in his current state, he thought idly gazing at the white blotches clawing over his right arm. Removing the poison out of his system was easier with the Op-Op Fruit but it took too much energy.

Unconsciously his eyes slid to the right, landing on the figure curled in on itself. Monkey D. Luffy. He was a D. just like him. Law had never met someone else with the curious initial outside of his parents, it surprised him a little when the boy had given out his name.

Certainly, Law hadn't picked on the importance of his name as his parents had told him that it was to remain a secret and to never say his full name. Luffy had been baffled when Law informed him of his name. Trafalgar D. Water Law.

Enemies of God, heh? The corners of his lips tilted up into a wry smile.

He had noticed how the Celestial Dragons referred themselves as Gods, thinking they were untouchable, strong and immortal. They had enough influence to get away with murder and slavery and the so called Justice of the World Government turned blind eye or simply didn't care about it.

But.

They were terrified of the Ds or disgusted by them.

" _Bad children are eaten by Ds" Those words swirled in his head, it was one of the conversations he had eavesdropped when he was brought here, the mother sounded so terrified when she had said those words to her son._

It was hogwash. Pure and simple.

Waving off the thought, he centered his attention on the small boy. Law wondered how long it would take for that blinding smile to dwindle a little, to become a wary shadow of the one Luffy had given him yesterday. Many children had come and gone, some of them accepted their fate without putting up a fight, obedience drilled into them to the point that if a Noble said to jump, they did it without a conscious thought, while others were pitted against each other, massacring one another to entertain the spectators the winner given the prize of extra putrid piece of bread.

Soon insanity would claw over the edges of sanity and the desperation to live another day drove them to madness and horrid deeds.

Law was way past it, Flevance had left him empty and full at the same time, hate simmering under his skin. Cora-san had changed that, bringing back emotion that he thought he had buried along with the debris of his natal city. When Cora-san had died, he stamped down the sorrow that came with it and he found himself back at square one. Hateful, bitter and with a thirst for revenge he couldn't assuage as long as Doflamingo drew breath.

Soon, a nefarious voice whispered in his head, soon.

.

.

.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

"Rise and shine!" The loud yell reverberated through the cells, rumbling in the air and waking everyone up, wanting or not.

The low noises of the night turned into full blown yells and pleas, waving hands protruded from the cells attempting to catch what those sadistic feeders had in the duffel satchels. The feeders chortled, mocking their need to eat, so they played a game; if someone begged them they pulled the food out of their reach, if one tried to be tough they denied him all together and if they were lucky they would take pity on them and gave out the food.

"Look at all their pathetic faces, I don't even know why Saint Basil keeps so many of them!"

His partner laughed. "They're fun to play with, specially those who fight in the Mortal Ring. So much excitement, so much desperation and you never know who is the winner."

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right!"

Law didn't move from his huddled position, food hadn't touched his mouth in three days, and while it wasn't the longest it also wasn't the shortest time he had been without either. His tongue itched and he recoiled at the prospect of begging them for substance and yet… Yet the survivor part of himself wrestled against his pride, both tangled up and struggling, and Law had no idea which side would come on top. He had trampled over his morals when Flevance had been burned, eradicated from the maps, hate and grief coiling in his veins; where would he stop to see Doflamingo dead?

He knew the answer but refused to acknowledge it.

Burying his head, Law tuned out the conversation held behind the bars and footsteps drawing near. Two men walked past, chattering happily and laughing at their misery.

"Let me out of here, bastards!" A familiar childish voice yelled. "I ain't staying here! Let me out!"

When Law lifted his head, he watched as Luffy pounded the metal bars with his bare fist, his head pressed against them catching the feeders' attention. What was he trying to do? The small boy changed his tactics from hitting to biting the bars. His lips twitched up and something akin to amusement flared inside him. Did the kid really think that he could eat the metal bars? That shouting out would waken the non-existent sympathy of the keepers? How naive, how foolish.

"What an attitude!" The one at the left jeered, his eyes twinkling madly. "Subjugating him would be as difficult as that monster he had as a cellmate."

"Or no, maybe he'll be killed before Sir gets the chance to break him little by little." His companion replied, his thin wire like lips stretched into a dark smile, showing off yellowed teeth. "He doesn't strike as the type to take out a life, he'll probably be killed in the first match."

Luffy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Match? A subtle shiver slithered its way up his spine, sliding through his veins and sought out his heart and it _yanked_. He may not be as smart as his brothers who were always suspicious, always on guard and could see underneath people's masks but his instincts had never failed him and they were currently screaming at him that something was wrong, very wrong.

His wide eyes looked over his shoulder, Traffy didn't look fazed by their words he simply sat there, silently, his eyes zeroed in on them.

As if feeling his eyes on him, the older boy switched his attention on him, something flashed across his eyes but faded out before Luffy could pinpoint what it was.

"Since you're new, we'll give you something to eat."

There was a clatter as a plate of food was pushed beneath the bars; a bowl of water and a crusty bread.

Yellow teeth laughed. "Enjoy the last food in this life, pet."

"I'm not a pet!" Luffy snapped catching his thoughts at hearing the last word. He was no one's pet. "I'm going to get away, my brothers will come for me, you hear me?!" He had no doubt that his brothers were already searching for him, they would bail him out of here. He wouldn't lose hope.

The pair ignored him and resumed their task of feeding the slaves. Luffy sagged, careful not to touch the food just yet, his lips twisted into snarl. Stupid people, not believing that Ace and Sabo would set him free, laughing like he was mad or something. Angered, he snatched the bread from the plate and tore into it viciously not caring that it tasted worse than those poisonous blueberries he ate once.

He lifted his hand to shove the brim of his straw hat down, only to thread his hand through his dark locks his shoulders slumped in sadness. Right, he had lost Shanks' hat when that man captured him. His treasure, the only object that reassured him, Luffy had made it a habit to touch the hat when he was depressed or nostalgic, and now it wasn't here.

What would Shanks say if Luffy told him that he hadn't taken care of his treasure? He would be disappointed for sure.

His eyes burned with unshed tears but he didn't let them fall. No more crying, he promised himself. No more until he was out of here.

To escape the negative emotions that threatened to swamp him, he focused on Traffy.

"What were they talking about?" Luffy queried the teenager, shuffling closer to him. "They said something about a match, is it some kind of competition or something?"

Like yesterday, the teen didn't grace him with an answer. Luffy pouted in disappointment, nevertheless he continued talking; "Me and my brothers spar a lot but they're friendly, I've never beat any of them, I'm always losing but Ace and Sabo always tie, so it's exciting when they fight. Of course one day I'm going to be stronger than them 'cause I'm going to be the King of Pirates, the freest man in the world."

Traffy raised an eyebrow. "King of Pirates?"

The flat tone was enough to raise his hackles, his body quaking in the process. It reminded him when Shanks made fun of him, saying that he was weak and his punch wasn't as strong as a pistol, which was a big, fat lie. His punch was as strong and fast as a pistol.

"Don't make fun of me! I'm going to be the King of Pirates." Luffy shot to his feet glaring angrily at the teen.

The effect of his glare was minimal since Law didn't look intimidated whatsoever, his face was neutral and his eyes razor-edged. Had he not been as messed up as he was, Law would've laughed until his sides hurt and his eyes leaked tears but he didn't, he chose to remain quiet, surveying the dolt instead. His mind backslid when the boy confessed his ambition. King of Pirates, huh? He snorted inwardly, the kid had yet to wake up from his dream, he had no idea what nightmare awaited for him a few meters away from this cell.

"Good luck with that." Law replied lackluster.

Luffy's expression shifted from angry to sunny, his lips stretched to his ears in a wide smile. There was a pang in his chest, that smile resembled Cora-san's so much that he forced his eyes to shift to the side just to avoid looking at the boy.

It was bad enough that his sleep was short because of nightmares, it didn't aid him that he had nothing to occupy his mind and nothing to do, he backtracked from the dark thoughts he didn't want to return to.

So lost in thought, he didn't pay attention when Luffy scrambled over to him, sitting comfortably besides him. Law shot him a look but otherwise didn't say anything, he had better things to do than talking to an obnoxious boy. He closed his eyes wishing from some peace but his head throbbed like there were a myriad of needles poking his brain restlessly, it didn't help when Luffy couldn't stay still, he was either twitching uncontrollably or humming an annoying song under his breath. It was driving him mad.

Minutes or hours went by, Law couldn't pinpoint but his head snapped up and eyes open when he heard the distinctive sound of bells chiming, he tensed up, his eyes trained on the bars. He ground his teeth in impotence, his chances of surviving this round were low, weak and feverish as he was.

"Waahh," Luffy cried in surprise, his fluffy head swinging back and forth searching where the sound was coming from. "What's that sound?"

"That's the call." Law answered unconsciously.

Luffy pouted, not understanding. He opened his mouth to ask again but just then, a shadow fell across their bodies blocking the light. Luffy squinted up trying to see their faces but it was crowded, though he noticed the two men standing near the bars.

The door opened with an ominous clang, and two of them walked over to them, besides him Law crawled backwards.

"It's your turn, rubber-boy."

Luffy let out a strangled cry when two hands seized him up, their soiled fingernails digging into his bare arms. Luffy tried to fight them off, his legs kicking the air. One of them let out an annoyed grumble and tightened his grip on Luffy and pulled him violently over the iron doorstep. He latched onto one of the bars refusing to let go, something told him if he did he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Never was he thankful for his rubber-body as his arms stretched when the men tried to haul him away from the only comfort Luffy knew in this place.

"Fucking hell," a burly man hissed, he took out a blue-like staff from his side he slapped at Luffy's fingers, the shock forcing his fingers open, and his arms snapped to its place.

His lips quivered. Blunt force wasn't supposed to hurt, he was rubber after all but it did, not only that, it also weakened him, he felt dizzy and helpless, like something essential was being snatched away from him.

Luffy caught a glimpse of Traffy watching him through the bars, unlike prior his face wasn't cold, with irritation flitting in his expression when he had talked, instead his face softened with a hint of pity on his face, Luffy floundered jolting with terror.

 _No nononono…_

"Help me," Luffy shouted out as he was dragged away. "Help me, don't let them take me away! "

Traffy's expression hardened, he closed his eyes and turned away ignoring Luffy's calls.

"Traffy!" His voice dimmed as he was whisked away from his cellmate, manhandled and powerless.

Suddenly they stopped, the darkness fanning out to a light that hurt his eyes, Luffy blinked several times to adjust them and sucked in a harsh breath where he was held adjacent to a big arena, his ears picked up the cheering and he saw loads of people dressed in white, similar to the one who had kidnapped him. The shouts roared up when he was pushed to the front, he staggered and fell inelegantly on to the floor of the arena, his knees scraping but he didn't mind the booboo due to being wary of the beefy man standing a few meters across him with an unsheathed sword.

Luffy gulped.

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 **Thanks to anyone who reviewed and took his/ her time to read this story, it makes me smile when I see a new reader or someone leaving a review. I hope I don´t dissapoint.**


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